Overall survival (OS) in patients (pts) with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and elevated alpha-fetoprotein (AFP): A real-world retrospective study

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Background: HCC is associated with a worse prognosis in pts with high baseline AFP levels. The relationship between elevated baseline AFP and survival benefit with systemic HCC treatments in the real world setting is poorly characterized. Methods: A retrospective analysis of clinical outcomes among newly diagnosed advanced HCC pts treated in US community-based oncology practice settings was conducted. Pts treated with sorafenib or best-supportive care (BSC) between 10/1/2007 and 12/31/2013 were identified in the International Oncology Network electronic medical record (EMR) database and were followed until date of death, date of last visit, or 06/30/2014 (end of study). Baseline demographics, clinical characteristics, and AFP (≤ or > 400 ng/mL), plus date of death were extracted from the EMR and physician progress notes. Treatment differences in OS were evaluated and stratified by AFP, AST/ALT, and bilirubin using unadjusted Cox proportional hazards regression models. Results: A total of 370 advanced HCC pts receiving sorafenib (217) or BSC (153) were identified. The mean age was 65.6 years and 77.0% were male. Cirrhosis (38.4%), hepatitis C (36.8%), and alcoholic liver disease (22.4%) were common hepatic-related comorbidities. 45.1% of pts had elevated AFP ( > 400 ng/mL) at baseline. The sorafenib cohort had significantly longer median OS time than the BSC cohort (29.6 vs 19.7 weeks, p= 0.048). OS for sorafenib vs BSC cohorts with AFP≤400 ng/mL and AFP > 400 ng/mL were 45.1 vs 25.3 weeks ( p= 0.128) and 25.3 vs 13.1 weeks ( p =0.197), respectively. Cox models revealed a consistent effect of sorafenib vs. BSC, regardless of AFP level (AFP ≤400ng/mL: HR = 0.79 (95% CI 0.55-1.13), p= 0.200; AFP > 400 ng/mL: HR = 0.80 (95% CI 0.53-1.52), p= 0.297). Conclusions: This study supports the poor prognosis for advanced HCC pts with baseline AFP levels > 400 ng/mL compared to baseline AFP ≤400 ng/mL. Limitations with retrospective, real-world studies require caution in interpretation, but this analysis suggests an OS benefit with sorafenib treatment compared to BSC. There remains an unmet need for effective therapies for advanced HCC associated with elevated AFP levels.

Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome: Recognizing an Unrecognized Killer

NMS has been with us for years as an often unrecognized entity. Nurses ask why there are "more of these cases" when what might be happening is that NMS is being discovered for what it is. There have been cases where the authors are convinced that the "pneumonia" or "urinary tract infection" was in fact a mild case of NMS that cleared. Probably some of the "sudden deaths" that have been reported in the past with neuroleptics are the results of undiagnosed NMS. Any patient with a fever, fluctuating vital signs, and signs of difficulty with moving should be considered as a possible case of NMS. All nurses and physicians need to be aware of the possibility, but those who work with psychiatric patients must not forget this potentially life-threatening problem.